Phone internet access issues at JFK United Terminal
Jan 29, 2015, 10:03 am
#1
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Phone internet access issues at JFK United Terminal
I just noticed the ruling against Marriott re blocking Wi-Fi. It reminded me of how annoying it is to be in the United terminal at JFK where you can only access the Internet if you pay for Boingo. It seems that they have effectively blocked 3G access to the Internet. Is that legal, given the Marriott ruling that Internet access is essential?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jan 29, 2015 at 1:34 pm Reason: updated title to better reflect the issue
Jan 29, 2015, 10:13 am
#2
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I just noticed the ruling against Marriott re blocking Wi-Fi. It reminded me of how annoying it is to be in the United terminal at JFK where you can only access the Internet if you pay for Boingo. It seems that they have effectively blocked 3G access to the Internet. Is that legal, given the Marriott ruling that Internet access is essential?
Jan 29, 2015, 10:26 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2011
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If they were actively blocking licensed cellular signals (including 3G/4G/voice), that would be an even bigger deal, and I suspect arrests would be made. The FCC doesn't take jamming licensed frequencies lightly at all. At least with WiFi, one can argue that as an unlicensed spectrum there are more rights to do what you want with it even if that's not compatible with other users (but the FCC declared otherwise when it comes to explicit deactivation, rightly IMO).
Passive blocking (intentional or not) is generally not illegal however (although I suspect you can't erect a 50 foot high metal shield on your property line just to block your neighbor's reception)
Passive blocking (intentional or not) is generally not illegal however (although I suspect you can't erect a 50 foot high metal shield on your property line just to block your neighbor's reception)
Jan 29, 2015, 10:36 am
#4
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1) The Boingo service will be free in NYC airports very soon if not already done.
2) Lack of cell phone coverage is not the same as blocking the service.
3) The FCC ruling re Marriott is only about active interference with WiFi signals; it has nothing to do with cell phone service.
2) Lack of cell phone coverage is not the same as blocking the service.
3) The FCC ruling re Marriott is only about active interference with WiFi signals; it has nothing to do with cell phone service.
Jan 29, 2015, 10:50 am
#5
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@PtahCha - I am glad to hear your phone worked. Mine won't. Whenever I try to access the Internet from the gate area for the JFK-LAX flight, all I can get is a log-in page for Boingo.
But thank you @sbm12 for the news that Boingo will soon be free. That will solve the problem.
But thank you @sbm12 for the news that Boingo will soon be free. That will solve the problem.
Jan 29, 2015, 10:53 am
#6
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Confused by this. Is it just because the phone is defaulting to the WiFi connection rather than 3G (i.e., does turning off WiFi / forgetting the network solve the problem)?
Jan 29, 2015, 10:57 am
#7
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@FotFun, well, I am clearly not a technological expert as evidenced by the corrections provided by the other posters. But my experience has been that it doesn't seem so much of a "default" as that they are not permitting any Internet access other than through Boingo. I can access the Internet while going through security but not once I go upstairs to the gate area.
But maybe it's just my carrier. Or my phone. Or a political conspiracy to prevent me from playing WWF while I wait for my flight.
But maybe it's just my carrier. Or my phone. Or a political conspiracy to prevent me from playing WWF while I wait for my flight.
Jan 29, 2015, 11:02 am
#8
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So if your phone was once connected to a Boingo network, then once you get within range of a Boingo network the phone will try to use that instead of the 3G connection. The range bit might explain why it works @ security -- if you're out of range of that particular WiFi signal (though if it's airport wide then you can ignore all this).
Anyway, the easy test is to manually turn off the wifi and see if it works.
Jan 29, 2015, 12:09 pm
#9
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@jong - would you mind sharing what mobile device/smartphone you had difficulties with and your default carrier/bands experiencing 3G issues? What about 4G/HSPA+ or 4G LTE, and, oh dear - Edge/2.5G (which is still very much functional @times, slow but usable ...)
Is this specific to T7@JFK, I haven't heard from anyone flying on CX lately having issues at all, which as you might know, share T7 with UA/BA. As others suggested, it might be an end-user configuration issue (i.e. 5 Ghz/auto, etc.) that can be easily addressed.
Perhaps you wanted to preinstall a few apps & run them during your next trip using T7 to see what's (mobile/WiFi) broadcasting - my favorite ones on Android KK & Lollipop - OpenSignal, SignalCheck, WiFi Analyzer & WiFi Finder (which has an offline Directory database) Regards ...
Is this specific to T7@JFK, I haven't heard from anyone flying on CX lately having issues at all, which as you might know, share T7 with UA/BA. As others suggested, it might be an end-user configuration issue (i.e. 5 Ghz/auto, etc.) that can be easily addressed.
Perhaps you wanted to preinstall a few apps & run them during your next trip using T7 to see what's (mobile/WiFi) broadcasting - my favorite ones on Android KK & Lollipop - OpenSignal, SignalCheck, WiFi Analyzer & WiFi Finder (which has an offline Directory database) Regards ...
Last edited by Letitride3c; Jan 29, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Jan 29, 2015, 12:53 pm
#11
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This is more a user issue than anything else.
And I also find it quite annoying that the iPhone will continue to try to force data out a gated wifi connection rather than fail back to cell service like my BB did so well. But I'm slowly learning to cope with that problem.
Jan 29, 2015, 1:26 pm
#12
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Jan 29, 2015, 2:56 pm
#15
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Whenever I have trouble getting a decent mobile signal at an airport, I think about this article
http://www.wired.com/2014/07/airport_wireless/
http://www.wired.com/2014/07/airport_wireless/
The average mobile phone is programmed to search out the five closest antenna signals. When you’re driving in your car this system lets you switch from antenna to antenna — usually without losing your connection. But in an airport, things can go haywire, especially as you’re switching from the powerful outdoor “macro” antennas that you’ve connected to on the tarmac to the smaller indoor devices that AT&T has tucked all over the airport.
For travelers, that means that the moments after you walk inside an airport are where you’re most likely to have a dropped call. Doublin hates it when that happens. “The in-building has to have dominance; it has to be stronger than that macro signal that’s coming in thought the windows” she says. “When that macro signal is stronger coming in through the windows, that’s when you’re going to drop a call, because your handset is sitting there in conflict.”
For travelers, that means that the moments after you walk inside an airport are where you’re most likely to have a dropped call. Doublin hates it when that happens. “The in-building has to have dominance; it has to be stronger than that macro signal that’s coming in thought the windows” she says. “When that macro signal is stronger coming in through the windows, that’s when you’re going to drop a call, because your handset is sitting there in conflict.”